July 9 '07: New York City officials announced recently that they would begin a video surveillance network in Downtown Manhattan similar to the Ring of Steel network in London, the New York Times reported. The $90 million network will include license plate readers, about 3,000 public and private cameras as well as license plate readers.

In a NYC Mayoral press release, Michael Bloomberg said the funding will come from federal and city funding as well as with the help from Homeland Security grants.

According to the Times, the license plate readers would scan drivers' licenses and alert suspicious plates to authorities. Additionally, a proposed fee to driver into Manhattan below 86th street would require license plate readers and so police officials would use those cameras as well to track incoming traffic.

"The entire operation is forecast to be in place and running by 2010," the Times continued. "The Police Department is still considering whether to use face-recognition technology, an inexact science that matches images against those in an electronic database, or biohazard detector in its Lower Manhattan network."

The operation is set to coast $8 million for its first year of operation.